The present invention relates to a method for the vacuum treatment of workpieces, in which a workpiece is introduced into an interlock chamber open to the ambient atmosphere, the interlock chamber is pumped out after it had been closed off from said ambient atmosphere, the interlock chamber is opened into an at least partially pumped-off vacuum chamber configuration, the workpiece subsequently is transported from the interlock chamber into the configuration and treated in the configuration, the workpiece subsequently is transported back from the configuration into the interlock chamber, the interlock chamber is closed against the configuration, is subsequently flooded and, lastly, the treated workpiece is carried from the flooded interlock chamber into the ambient atmosphere, wherein at least a portion of the configuration is pumped out by means of a turbo vacuum pump with a forevacuum pump operationally connected therewith at the high-pressure side and the interlock chamber is pumped out by means of an interlock pump.
The present invention relates further to a vacuum treatment installation comprising an interlock chamber, an interlock pump connected therewith, further communicating with the interlock chamber a vacuum chamber configuration operationally connected with at least one turbo vacuum pump, with which latter is associated at the high-pressure side a forevacuum pump.
In FIG. 1 is depicted in the form of a function block diagram one such prior known configuration, in which said prior known workpiece treatment method is readily evident to a person skilled in the art.
According to FIG. 1, an interlock chamber 1 with lock valve 3 against ambient atmosphere U is provided with a lock valve 5 against a vacuum chamber configuration 7. The vacuum chamber configuration 7 can therein comprise as a minimum configuration a single treatment chamber B or one or several transport chamber(s) operationally connected with the latter, again, one or several treatment chamber(s) B as well as, if appropriate further interlock chambers depending on how complex the treatment to be carried out on the workpieces is and how many steps it comprises. As is readily familiar to a person skilled in the art, the workpieces are introduced into the interlock chamber 1 with the lock valve 5 closed and lock valve 3 is opened, whereupon the lock valve 3 is closed and the interlock chamber 1 is evacuated by means of an interlock pump 9, such as for example a single- or multistage rotary vane pump and via a valve 11.
In principle, on the vacuum chamber configuration 7 at least one turbo vacuum pump 3 is provided, which pumps out at least the one treatment chamber, if appropriate jointly in combination with a transport chamber associated with this treatment chamber. If several treatment chambers are provided which are to be pumped independently of one another, it is entirely possible to provide several turbo vacuum pumps 13.
The at least one turbo vacuum pump 13, operationally connected with the vacuum chamber configuration 7, is succeeded at the high-pressure side by a forevacuum pump 15, in order to generate the required forepressure at the turbo vacuum pump 13.
It is the task of the present invention to further develop the method of the above described type such that it becomes cost-effective and that it becomes less susceptible to fault, further to simplify the installation of said type accordingly, and to realize it such that it requires less maintenance and has greater compactness. This is achieved with the method of said type thereby that as the forevacuum pump the interlock pump is operationally connected with the turbo vacuum pump.
To solve said task the vacuum treatment installation of the above described type is distinguished thereby that the forevacuum pump, associated with the turbo vacuum pump, is the interlock pump. The method according to the invention as well as also the configuration according to the invention are in particular well suitable for the treatment, in particular coating, of disk-shaped workpieces, in particular of storage disks, therein especially of optical data storage disks.